1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle hood structure, and in particular, to a vehicle hood structure which is used in a vehicle such as an automobile or the like and which protects a colliding body at the time of a collision.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicle hood structure which is applied to a vehicle such as an automobile or the like, a structure is conventionally known in which the interval between a hood outer panel and a hood inner panel is made to be larger at the rear half portion of the hood in the vehicle longitudinal direction than at the front half portion thereof (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 11-321713).
However, in this vehicle hood structure disclosed in JP-A No. 11-321713, the front half portion of the hood has low rigidity, and the general properties intrinsic to the hood (torsional rigidity, tensile rigidity, and the like) are poor. Further, at the rear half portion of the hood, the interval between the hood inner panel and the members beneath the hood is narrower than at the front half portion.
Therefore, when a colliding body collides with the front half portion of the hood, the hood inner panel deforms locally, and the amount of energy absorbed at the time of the primary collision cannot be ensured.
Further, when a colliding body collides with the rear half portion of the hood, the secondary collision between the hood inner panel and the members beneath the hood begins during the time that the energy cannot be sufficiently absorbed. As a result, the impact which the colliding body receives at the time of the secondary collision is large.